Via request I've created a separate thread for the discussion of some of the finer points of clicker training.
Specifically the nuts and bolts of getting behaviour via capturing and shaping, getting behaviours on cues, transferring known behaviours which are on cue to new cues, getting behaviours under stimulus control for the purposes of sport competition/ service dog work/ working dogs/etc.
If you are unsure of what clicker training is check out the Sticky thread at the top of this section labeled: Clicker Training 101 to get all of your basic question's answered. That said this thread is for everyone, so please feel free to join in
In another thread we were discussing the changes/ stages dog's seem to go through in terms of "awareness" (I use the word loosely) of the clicker. For easy reading purpose's I've bolded each stage and then described my particular observations of each.
Everything below is simply my 0.02.
STAGE ONE
The first stage of "awareness" by the learner appears to happen fairly early when pairing the click noise emitted by the clicker with a primary reinforcer. This is where you will see dogs go from basically ignoring the clicker to snapping to attention when the click noise is emitted.
Primary reinforcer's usually refer to these four basic needs of social animals: Food, water, play and sex. For non-social animal's I would argue that play would be an irrelevant reinforcer.
The biggest thing to note about any reinforcer is that the learner decides what is reinforcing to him/her.
STAGE TWO
The second stage occurs when the learner further discovers that not only does click=goodies, but that the learner's behaviour can control the reinforcement flow.
This moment of "awareness" is commonly referred to as the "light bulb" moment. Some animal's appear to become visibly excited at this moment.
Side Note It is important to note that this second stage of awareness that I am describing can only be reached by allowing the animal to become an active participant in the training without luring, or physical restraint/ manipulation. A dog that is lured to sit, will still do so with enthusiasm, and still be very reliable- however it will never exhibit the same deliberate movement that a dog who has been taught to sit by capturing in the breakthrough "Ah ha if I do this I can make her click".
After you reach this second stage of awareness the whole process becomes much faster. Your dog will become more and more proficient at acquiring new behaviors during shaping session's and learn new behavior’s taught via capturing much quicker than the first three or four. This is where the "accelerated learning" really becomes noticeable.
STAGE THREE
Once your dog get's a few of these new learned behaviour on cue the third stage of awareness is learning that the cue is the only green light, when performed in conjuncture with x action that will earn reinforcement. This is the goal of most trainer's: to get their dog's important known behaviours (the ones which get polished to perfection for sport, or work, etc) under stimulus control.
To be under stimulus control an on cue behaviour must meet these four conditions:
-The behaviour is performed when cued
-The behaviour is not performed in absence of the cue
-The behaviour is never performed in absence of the cue
-Only the behaviour which is cued will be performed (Example dog doesn't lie down when cued to sit)
While practically I do not think every single behaviour a dog learns should be put on cue, you can certainly see how it would be helpful in a variety of situations. Specifically, behaviours which are under stimulus control tend to reduce the frantic "behaviour flinging" which some clicker trained dogs tend to do in shaping sessions. Again to each there own, personally It doesn't bother me in a shaping session because I feel it gives me a wider variety of behaviours to work with and very quickly you can narrow it down to only clicking for what you want, and thanks to extinction law (stating that unreinforced behaviours will eventually disappear-usually right after spiking) everything else should very quickly disappear.
Anyways that's all my fingers can manage for now, please add thoughts, questions, experinces, discuss!
Kayla
Specifically the nuts and bolts of getting behaviour via capturing and shaping, getting behaviours on cues, transferring known behaviours which are on cue to new cues, getting behaviours under stimulus control for the purposes of sport competition/ service dog work/ working dogs/etc.
If you are unsure of what clicker training is check out the Sticky thread at the top of this section labeled: Clicker Training 101 to get all of your basic question's answered. That said this thread is for everyone, so please feel free to join in
In another thread we were discussing the changes/ stages dog's seem to go through in terms of "awareness" (I use the word loosely) of the clicker. For easy reading purpose's I've bolded each stage and then described my particular observations of each.
Everything below is simply my 0.02.
STAGE ONE
The first stage of "awareness" by the learner appears to happen fairly early when pairing the click noise emitted by the clicker with a primary reinforcer. This is where you will see dogs go from basically ignoring the clicker to snapping to attention when the click noise is emitted.
Primary reinforcer's usually refer to these four basic needs of social animals: Food, water, play and sex. For non-social animal's I would argue that play would be an irrelevant reinforcer.
The biggest thing to note about any reinforcer is that the learner decides what is reinforcing to him/her.
STAGE TWO
The second stage occurs when the learner further discovers that not only does click=goodies, but that the learner's behaviour can control the reinforcement flow.
This moment of "awareness" is commonly referred to as the "light bulb" moment. Some animal's appear to become visibly excited at this moment.
Side Note It is important to note that this second stage of awareness that I am describing can only be reached by allowing the animal to become an active participant in the training without luring, or physical restraint/ manipulation. A dog that is lured to sit, will still do so with enthusiasm, and still be very reliable- however it will never exhibit the same deliberate movement that a dog who has been taught to sit by capturing in the breakthrough "Ah ha if I do this I can make her click".
After you reach this second stage of awareness the whole process becomes much faster. Your dog will become more and more proficient at acquiring new behaviors during shaping session's and learn new behavior’s taught via capturing much quicker than the first three or four. This is where the "accelerated learning" really becomes noticeable.
STAGE THREE
Once your dog get's a few of these new learned behaviour on cue the third stage of awareness is learning that the cue is the only green light, when performed in conjuncture with x action that will earn reinforcement. This is the goal of most trainer's: to get their dog's important known behaviours (the ones which get polished to perfection for sport, or work, etc) under stimulus control.
To be under stimulus control an on cue behaviour must meet these four conditions:
-The behaviour is performed when cued
-The behaviour is not performed in absence of the cue
-The behaviour is never performed in absence of the cue
-Only the behaviour which is cued will be performed (Example dog doesn't lie down when cued to sit)
While practically I do not think every single behaviour a dog learns should be put on cue, you can certainly see how it would be helpful in a variety of situations. Specifically, behaviours which are under stimulus control tend to reduce the frantic "behaviour flinging" which some clicker trained dogs tend to do in shaping sessions. Again to each there own, personally It doesn't bother me in a shaping session because I feel it gives me a wider variety of behaviours to work with and very quickly you can narrow it down to only clicking for what you want, and thanks to extinction law (stating that unreinforced behaviours will eventually disappear-usually right after spiking) everything else should very quickly disappear.
Anyways that's all my fingers can manage for now, please add thoughts, questions, experinces, discuss!
Kayla